The present invention pertains to a process and a device for cleaning vehicle parts, in particular vehicle glass panes in preparation for subsequent treatment and/or installation processes. The cleaning device includes a wiping element and the wiping element and the vehicle part are moved relative to one another by means of a multiaxial manipulator or the like.
During installation by adhesion of glass panes in vehicle bodies, it is necessary to intensely clean the surfaces of the pane to which adhesive is to be applied prior to application of the adhesive. It is known in this connection from EP-A 0,111,206 and EP-A 0,176,701 that it is possible to use a cleaning device with a wiping element that is moved by an industrial robot relative to the glass pane of the vehicle. A cleaning fluid is applied by means of a spraying device, and this cleaning fluid is wiped off, together with the dirt particles, by the wiping element which subsequently arrives at the location. The wiping element, soaked full, is released at the end of the cleaning process and a new one is taken up. The wiping elements consist of small pieces of rag which can be used only once and are taken up with a grasping device, held during the wiping process, and subsequently released.
The use of individual pieces of rag has proved to be disadvantageous in practice. The pieces of rag often cling to the grasping device during the opening of the grasping device. On the other hand, additional movement processes are necessary for grasping and releasing the pieces of rag, and they prolong the cycle time. It may be necessary to replace the pieces of rag several times in the case of relatively large glass panes and heavy soiling.
In addition, when pieces of rag are released, additional measures are required for safely removing them from the grasping device.